Design Details
Long Winter Nights Call for Better Interior Lights
Follow this lighting pro’s 4 easy steps to make your home more comfortable this season
With colder temperatures and fewer hours of sunlight in winter, people often find themselves inside their homes more. Therefore, it is more important than ever to create an inviting, relaxing and comfortable home with the right lighting. Adding indirect (nonoverhead) lighting to your home will add a warm glow on the chilliest of evenings. Here are four easy steps you can take to make it through those long winter nights.
Table lamps also help when placed in pairs on dining room buffets and console tables, as seen in this Boston living room by Sullivan + Associates Architects. This lighting technique is common to hotel lobbies around the world. This classic look make spaces feel more inviting and relaxing, a desired effect in hotels and homes alike.
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2. Bring In Floor Lights
Adding floor lights throughout the house can make a huge difference in the comfort of the space and help chase away those winter blues. If you have a dark corner of a room without a table, a floor light is just the thing to brighten up that corner. Adjustable floor lights are ideal next to a favorite reading chair or sofa, letting you place the usable light right where you need it to help you make out words on a page. This Detroit living room designed by MW Design Studio features a large contemporary floor light next to a comfy sofa.
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Adding floor lights throughout the house can make a huge difference in the comfort of the space and help chase away those winter blues. If you have a dark corner of a room without a table, a floor light is just the thing to brighten up that corner. Adjustable floor lights are ideal next to a favorite reading chair or sofa, letting you place the usable light right where you need it to help you make out words on a page. This Detroit living room designed by MW Design Studio features a large contemporary floor light next to a comfy sofa.
Browse contemporary floor lights
Look at the diagram here to see some of the common mistakes in choosing a height for floor lights. Glare can result from lights that are too tall or too short and shades that are too skinny or too dark.
3. Add Accent Lights
While sprinkling candles throughout a house is a classic way to add a relaxing layer of light to your home, lighting them is not always practical or desired. A more reliable way to get a similar sparkle is to add small glowing accent lights in otherwise dark spaces, such as the trio of lights that brighten up a stairwell in this Orange County, California, home designed by Geoff Sumich Design.
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While sprinkling candles throughout a house is a classic way to add a relaxing layer of light to your home, lighting them is not always practical or desired. A more reliable way to get a similar sparkle is to add small glowing accent lights in otherwise dark spaces, such as the trio of lights that brighten up a stairwell in this Orange County, California, home designed by Geoff Sumich Design.
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Wall sconces are another excellent way to add indirect accent lighting. Many sconces now come with electric cords that allow you to plug them into an outlet without the hassle and expense of hiring an electrician to drill into your walls. A pair of wall sconces with linen shades add a warm glow to this Boston living room designed by the team at The Orpin Group.
4. Turn Off Ceiling Fan Lights
As this photo and the next one show, a ceiling fan light is great at providing a large amount of light near the middle of a room. This can be great for packing a suitcase on the end of the bed or vacuuming the living room carpet. But a harsh glare is a common side effect that’s often unavoidable when three or four light bulbs are directly over your head. The perimeter of the room, often where chairs and dressers and tables are, may also be left in the dark.
As this photo and the next one show, a ceiling fan light is great at providing a large amount of light near the middle of a room. This can be great for packing a suitcase on the end of the bed or vacuuming the living room carpet. But a harsh glare is a common side effect that’s often unavoidable when three or four light bulbs are directly over your head. The perimeter of the room, often where chairs and dressers and tables are, may also be left in the dark.
Comfort is not just about having enough light. It is about having the right kinds of light. Too often I see clients trying to make their spaces brighter instead of better. Turning off ceiling fan lights and adding lamps and sconces to a room will remove the harsh glare while adding a warm glow.
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More on Houzz
How to Choose the Right Color Temperature of LED Lightbulb
How to Light Your Ceiling Right
Shop for lighting products
Placing table lamps in strategic spots is a great way to add indirect lighting and create a sense of warmth in your home. Take a look around and see where you need good light for reading, knitting, playing games or other tasks. Chances are there is already a side table or an end table nearby, as in this living room by CWB Architects. Place a lamp on it and adjust the shade and height until the light is in just the right spot.